DEL MAR FAIR BOARD MEMBERS SKIP DETAILS ON FREEBIES

Some forms filled out don’t show who got tickets and why

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Board members of the Del Mar Fairgrounds handed out $10,500 in event tickets in 2012 to promote their organization, but did not offer much detail under a new process to disclose who got the tickets and why.

Under the process, board members list recipients. They are also supposed to cite a public purpose for the giveaways. In filling out the forms, they cited broad policy sections with lists of criteria for the freebies, without specifying the actual purpose.

Spurred by an inquiry from The Watchdog, the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission is asking the board to be more specific on the forms.

“The whole purpose of the regulation is to inform the public who is getting the tickets and what the purposes is,” said Bill Lenkeit, senior commission counsel with the FPPC. “These tickets are public assets and the public has a right to know how they are used — what public purpose is being served by giving them away.

“All we have here is a statement that the gifts of these tickets served some public purpose. That’s not enough.”

As an example, Adam Day, president of the fair board, gave out 26 concert tickets to see celebrities such as Scott McCreery, Joan Sebastion, Train and Gabriel Iglesias for a ticket value of more than $1,000. He also gave out 29 tickets for Director’s Room seating at the Del Mar race meet, worth more than $3,000.

As a reason, he listed two sections of fair policy governing free tickets, but didn’t identify which purpose applied to the tickets he gave out. The reasons listed in the policy include intergovernmental relations and promotion of fair resources, programs, sponsorship or visibility.

Day said the organization’s policies surrounding distribution of event tickets have changed dramatically after years of scrutiny.

Previously, all board members were given enough tickets to attend every day of the fair with their families — tickets that were not all used or accounted for.

“It didn’t feel like a good example of transparency,” Day said. “It didn’t help the public’s understanding of who is or isn’t using the tickets.”

Now board members need to request tickets in advance to meet specific needs, Day said. He said he chose to pay for himself and his family to attend the fair this year.

Day said the forms have been filled out properly, with advice from fair lawyers.

Board member Lisa Barkett gave out 47 race tickets complete with Director’s Room Seating for a total ticket value of $4,080. She said she attended the races with guests, an important part of her public service.

Tim Fennell, CEO of the fairgrounds, said he remains confident the forms have been filled out adequately.

One form filed by board member Frederick Schenk did prove problematic in The Watchdog’s review, as it failed to identify who used the tickets.

Schenk gave out two tickets to see country star Scott McCreery, two tickets to a Train concert, two tickets to a show by comedian Gabriel Iglesias and three tickets to comedian Jeff Dunham’s show. None of the recipients were identified.

Tickets ranged in cost from $28 to $43. He also gave out 31 fair passes, valued at $13, to unidentified people.

He said several of the passes were given to family members, who are not required to be identified by name. He said he did not recall the other recipients.

“I don’t remember, aside from family, who these people are,” Schenk said. “Maybe I could do a better job of that, honestly.”

Schenk, who helps book acts, said he gives tickets to individuals he feels will be able to provide meaningful feedback about a particular aspect of fair entertainment, including concerts.

“If I’m spending upward of $200,000 on an act, and I don’t know the musician or genre well, I want to make sure people who do appreciate this act can give me constructive criticisms about the quality,” he said.

Schenk said past attention garnered by ticket reporting processes has had a chilling effect on board members’ personal ticket usage.

“I don’t think this regulation was designed to keep us from doing our job, but that is what it’s done,” he said.